This paper will deal with Betty Friedan, a famous woman activist in the 1960’s, her achievements, and her influence on women in that time. Several statements of Betty Friedan in this paper are out of her famous book "The Feminine Mystique", which I will use as primary literature.
The first part of the paper will deal with Betty Friedan’s life before she became a famous author with "The Feminine Mystique". It will focus mainly on her student life and her private life.
The second part will deal with her life, as she calls it, “new” life, after she published the book. This part will discuss her increasing activities in the women’s movement and the changes that took place in her private life. Furthermore, direct changes in politics, laws and society will be examined.
Part three of the paper will look in more general terms at the differences that Betty Friedan’s works brought to women in cold war America. A main aspect will be the new passed laws that helped to improve women’s situation. This part will also refer to negative influences and criticism that arose in that time and which were partly blamed on Betty Friedan’s activism.
The paper will end with Betty Friedan’s “second stage” statements in which she makes suggestions for the next step that must be taken by women and men, that is, by society.
Table of Contents
- Introduction
- Betty Friedan's Life before 1963
- Her “New” Life and the Impact of Her Book in the 1960's
- The Influence of Her Works on Women in Cold War America
Objectives and Key Themes
This paper examines the life and influence of Betty Friedan, a prominent women's rights activist in the 1960s, with a particular focus on her book, *The Feminine Mystique*, as a primary source. The paper aims to explore Friedan's achievements, her impact on women during the Cold War era, and the broader societal changes she contributed to.
- Betty Friedan's life and career before and after the publication of *The Feminine Mystique*
- The impact of Friedan's book on the women's movement and the broader social and political landscape in the 1960s
- The challenges and criticisms faced by Friedan and the women's movement
- The changes in laws and policies related to women's rights influenced by Friedan's activism
- Friedan's vision for the future of women's rights and societal change
Chapter Summaries
- Introduction: This chapter provides an overview of the paper's scope and focus, highlighting Betty Friedan's significance as a feminist icon and the central role of *The Feminine Mystique* in the analysis.
- Betty Friedan's Life before 1963: This chapter delves into Friedan's early life, her experiences as a student at Smith College, her involvement in political activism, and her early career as a journalist and labor union writer.
Keywords
This paper focuses on the life and influence of Betty Friedan, feminism, women's rights, *The Feminine Mystique*, Cold War America, social and political change, the women's movement, gender roles, and societal expectations. These keywords represent the key themes and research focus of this work.
- Citar trabajo
- Annett Oswald (Autor), 2004, The Influence of Betty Friedan's Work on Her Life and on the Lives of Women in Cold War America, Múnich, GRIN Verlag, https://www.grin.com/document/54797
